15 ohm speakers yea or nay?

     What impedance tap choices do your tube amps have?

     Bearing in mind some are internal: which are you using?

     I hate to type, thus: see if any of this helps-

https://www.dhtrob.com/overige/tubefriendly_lsp_en.php

4 and 8 ohm taps. I am using the 8 ohm taps for both speakers!

Thanks for that site!

@rodman99999 

+1

I believe that many will find that linked article worthwhile.

Charles 

@yogiboy,

Efficiency and sensitivity are not the same. My speakers are JBL 4435 monitors and have a sensitivity of 96 dB SPL @ 1 watt @ 2 meters @ 8 Ohm and have an efficiency of 2.7%. See the JBL manual below specifications section, last page. As for the difference between sensitivity and efficiency see the link below JBL technical note first page section C. All three specifications, impedance, sensitivity and efficiency are important and must be looked at together to better understand their meaning and correlation to what you hear. Also, amplifiers produce more distortion in lower impedances then higher impedances. Hope that helps. 😎

Mike

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/specs/pro-speakers/1984-4430-35.htm

http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/reference/notes/tech1-3a.htm

http://www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-efficiency.htm

@rodman99999 +2. Great article.

I would say Yea.  Because the only speaker that I know that has 15ohm and 83db spl ratings with the Falcon name attached is their Rogers LS 3/5a speakers.  After 40 years and many speakers have come and gone, I still love Rogers.

Now that you mention.  I do switch between 8ohm Quads with 86ish?db spl and the Rogers.  I don't hear any significant loudness between them with the same volume setting on the preamp. 

However, I did hear a hear a level difference when I went from a tube amp using the 16 ohm tap to the SS Spectral amp I'm using now.  I just figured it was the differing input sensitivity of the amps.

Why?  I don't know.  I just listen to the music.  I do use the Quads for large orchestral.  The Rogers for near field critical listening, smaller quintets, jazz or solo recordings.